The Walk of a New Era
by PrettyBandgirl XD
Summary: When Raava gets into a sticky situation, Wan has to help her before the Harmonic Convergence. They won't be able to control what they think as a kidnapping, disability, and dark spirit threaten one or both of their lives. (written on request) "I would die before I let anything happen to you, Raava." "Don't you understand, Wan? Vaatu cannot kill me... But he can kill you."
1. Not a Shadow

Oh, how long she had been soaring though the skies. It must have been hundreds of years by now, but she kept going. So many places she had visited touched by darkness and healed by her light. If she stopped now, even for a quick break, she would not be able to continue. No, she must keep going. In order to revive the light in her world and repair her mistake, she must continue searching for the darkness she let go of.

"Here." He placed the giant leaf in front of the cat-deer, her share of the rain water nestled in its spoon-like shape. They sat in the silence of the night. A great shadow loomed overhead and blacked the stars for a few seconds. Wan stared in the direction it had gone in. It was not a shadow; it was light.

"Just because I am agreeing with the Lion Turtle does not indicate that I want to have your assistance, human." She drifted along beside him and his cat-deer as they began their journey.

"I understand that, Raava; but as long as we're working together we should at least be civil." Raava would have scowled if she could show emotion.

"Well," she hesitated, "Wan, do not think for a moment that I will not abandon you if the time comes close to the Harmonic Convergence."

"What exactly is that again?" Wan asked. "Harmonic Convergence?"

"It is a celestial even that occurs every ten thousand years." She stopped moving to survey a small spirit playing in a tree. Wan and Mula stopped as well. "During the Harmonic Convergence, Vaatu and I fight for the fate of the next ten thousand years. If I win, light and peace prospers. However, if he wins and I lose, the world falls to darkness and the violence and evil with it." She began to move again.

"Come on, Mula," he said patting his cat-deer's neck.


	2. Sarcasm

Raava lingered in front of Wan. He stood up straight, full of his pride but obedient to his spirit's words. "Now that we have greeted the Lion Turtles that could give you an element you did not already possess, you must master them if you want any chance at helping me catch Vaatu."

"I'm aware of what I have to do," Wan stated. "I'm prepared for it."

"Very well. Let's begin." She rose up, an individual wind stirring her tendrils. "I will pass through you to switch what element you currently hold. I know Aye-Aye and the other spirits have taught you well in the form of the flame. We shall see how you cope with air. It is most opposite of fire." Wan's anxiety made his breath heavy. Raava warned him: "This has never been attempted before. I do not know what the result will be."

"You're saying I might die. Don't fret." He smirked. "I won't die." Annoyed at his pride, Raava braced herself and dove for his chest. His arms swung out to his sides. Her individual breeze smacked him like a hurricane, and he slid to his knees as she exited his body through his back.

"You're still alive?"

He took a deep breath and sighed. "Now why do you sound so disappointed?"

"You just seem to be a stronger human then I previously expected."

"Glad I could meet your expectations," he commented sarcastically.

"What is that?" she asked.

"What?"

"You're voice just then." Raava glared at Wan as he laughed.

"Come on. Teach me how to master air."


	3. The Yearning to Understand

"Wan, I am sorry about your human friends"

"Thank you, Raava; but don't bother. I know you are only mimicking what you have seen among other humans." Wan was staring at the ground. Raava noticed that his eyes were glossy.

"Vaatu could have been lying-"

"Stop." He raised his eyes to her. "What are you trying to do?" He turned on her. "You don't have any emotions. You've never felt anything but your own pride." Raava's eyes would have been wide.

"I-I," she didn't know what to say or do, so she decided to leave and give him time.

Wan saw her leave but was too numb to do anything except land on the ground with a soft thud. Mula came up next to him and rubbed her head against his arm.

Raava wandered outside of a Lion Turtle City. She studied the humans carefully but could not find what she was looking for. "I cannot afford to go anywhere else," she mumbled to herself. She was still searching when she saw something. In the city's market where people were bustling around, there was a young man and girl walking side by side. They were not holding hands or showing any kind of affection. They were just talking. Raava few closer to them but remained hidden.

"All he wants is for you to accept him," the girl hissed. "Is that so hard to ask?"

"I don't trust him," the man replied.

"So? You aren't Dad. You can't just tell me who I can like." She placed food from a stand they were at in the basket on her elbow and dropped coins into the vendor's outstretched hand.

"No. Dad is dead." The man stopped her before she could go on shopping. "He told me to look out for you."

"Yeah, look out for me, but you're trying to control me." She yanked her arm from his grip. "You're my brother, so start acting like one."

Raava paid more attention the girl's appearance than the conversation. She was a petite girl but had many flattering curves. Her hair and eyes were dark. Raava looked down at her spirit form and wondered.

Wan sat up from the tough grass and looked around him. "Where did she go?" he asked Mula. "I thought she would have been back by now." He stood and hopped on Mula's back. "Let's go find her."

It was sunset when Wan came across the city. He spoke to the Lion Turtle and was granted access to find Raava. Mula stayed outside. The city was going about its daily business. First, he checked the housing area. Then, he checked a maze of taller houses where she might have gotten lost. He pondered asking the people if they had seen her, but what would he say? "Hi, have you seen a white spirit with blue markings?" No.

He was running a hand through his hair in frustration when he saw the market. He knew that if she was somewhere in this city, that was the last place she could be. A bickering man and girl were in a corner of the market square. Wan stood in another corner and spread out his vision to try and find Raava's light. He could not see anything though, and as the sun fell even more, he began to worry that he had lost the spirit.

The market was closing. The leaving vendors watched him suspiciously but left him alone when they saw his worried face. "Raava?" he called out into the large, empty square. "Raava, tell me you're here!" He started to walk around the space. "I'm sorry I said that to you before. I was just upset. I had no right to say that to you." The only light guiding his way was the fire in his hand, but then he turned around and saw another, a brighter, whiter light. "Raava!" He rushed towards the dimming light. Once he got there he frowned. "Raava?" He bent down and looked closer. Sitting against a wall in an alley-looking space was a petite woman with her legs straight out in front of her. Despite her small body, she had many complimenting curves. Wan's eyebrows furrowed. "Raava, is that you?" The curtain of long, white hair shimmered as she moved.

"Hello, Wan." The voice was younger, less critical sounding; but sure enough, it was her.

"You're human," he breathed. He looked at her arms and legs, the white dress that covered her, the blue markings on her forehead. "I didn't know you could do this."

"I didn't either," she whispered. "I'm glad you saw the light I sent out just now." He still hadn't seen her full face.

"Is something wrong? Are you hurt?" His mind hurried. If she had been hurt because she ran away from his yelling, it would have been all his fault.

"No, it's just…" She let her voice fade.

"What?" And then she looked up. There was nothing wrong with her human form. If anything, it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He looked into her face and lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry." Tears ran down from the lids of her crystal blue eyes to her chin and down her neck.

"No, I wanted to do this, but," she paused. He looked back up at her and gave her a small and sad grin. He untied his scarf from around his neck, just then realizing how cold it was outside; and wrapped it around her neck. He pulled it up like a hood to cover her face. "Wan, I don't know how to change back." Wan's hand lifted from the hood in surprise.

"You don't?" he asked.

"No," she whimpered looking back down. She started to cry again. "And I- I don't know what this feeling is. It- It won't go away. I can't stop this rain coming from my eyes."

"Hey." He used his hand to lift her face back up and smiled at her again. "It's ok. We can figure it out." Raava could not help but cry. It was not just the fact at how she could not change back to her spirit form; it was that she was feeling so many emotions at once. She was afraid, lonely, sad, and… happy. She was happy that Wan had found her, happy that he had come looking for her when she did not return, and happy that he scared away some of the fear and loneliness.

She could not tell him. No, she would not tell him.

"What do you say we get out of here?" He stood up and offered her his hand.

She had to tell him.

When she didn't reach up and take his hand, he squat back down to her level. "What is it?"

"Wan, I," she avoided his eyes, "I don't know how to walk." He did not say anything. All he did was put his back to her and hold his hands out backwards.

"Come on." He looked back at her with soft eyes. She had seen this with an old man and child earlier in the market. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself forward for him to grab her legs. She gasped at the warmth that spread from the places his hands touched. "At least you can use your arms," he joked. She felt a tingle in her stomach and smiled into his hair.

The cold air was all around them as they left the city, Wan thanking the Lion Turtle when he went to collect Mula, who smelled Raava before accepting her. Raava felt none of the cold anymore. She had been shivering wildly when Wan found her, but now she felt nothing, just heat. She could see the frigid wind hit Wan, but his scarf protected her face. His arms protected her legs. She pulled up closer to him, trying to warm his neck with her arms. If this is all I can do, she thought, I'm going to do it. Thank you, Wan.

"Hey, Raava," Wan said. He gestured with his head toward the sky. "Look." She tilted her head up slowly, eyes widening when they saw. The stars were so beautiful.


	4. Just a Little Longer

Wan blinked his eyes open. He turned his head to see Raava still awake. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Humans need sleep, you know."

"Just a little bit longer." She did not even look at him as she answered. Her new, human eyes remained glued to the stars.

"They will be there tomorrow too and every night. They've always been there. Haven't you seen them?" He sat up next to her.

"No, I haven't." She sighed at how amazing it looked. "Not only did it take all of my time to keep Vaatu under control, but in my spirit form, I can only see how close or far away it is until the Harmonic Convergence. I've never seen this before." He smiled and raised his hands to clap in front of her face. She blinked a lot before looking at him in confusion.

"You looked away," he told her. "Get some rest before you look back up." He pulled the scarf that was still around her head over farther so it covered her eyes. She nodded and lied down next to Mula, falling asleep as soon as she closed her eyes. Wan lifted the scarf a little bit up with his fingers and watched her. "Honestly, Raava, you can be as amazing as those stars. You sure surprised me." He released the scarf and went back to sleep in his own spot.


	5. New Abilities

"I don't want to."

"You have to. You can't walk, and Mula doesn't like to go into the cities."

"Why do we have to go in there anyway?"

"We can't get all our supplies in the forest."

Raava pouted as Wan lifted her onto his back. It had been two days since he found her in human form. She still could not change back. "Why can't I just stay with Mula?" she asked.

"Think about it. Jaya and his group hated spirits," he stated. "What if there are more of them out there?"

"What does it matter? I'm in human form." She put her chin on his shoulder. He looked at her sideways.

"Those markings on your head can give you away if they look close enough." She took a hand from around him to pull the hood down a little farther over her head. She wondered if that was why he gave it to her.

"So basically, everywhere we go you are going to carry me." It wasn't a question, so he didn't answer. Just smiled. She poked him in the back of the head. "Then teach me how to walk."

"Ok. Let's see." Raava was sitting on Mula's back.

"What is there to see?" she asked Wan as he paced in front of her. He stopped and shrugged.

"I don't know how to teach someone to walk," he admitted. Raava rolled her eyes and scooted off of Mula. Wan watched as her feet met the earth, and for a moment, she was standing. Then, he blinked. There she was crumpled on the ground.

"Forget walking!" she yelled. "How do I do that?" She pointed at his legs.

"Really?" He stretched his hands out to her. "I thought you would have at least been able to stand." She grabbed his arms and tried to pull herself up, but she had no idea how to do anything with her legs- even wiggle her toes. "Here." Wan pulled this time; her arms straightened as she was lifted up from the rock beneath her. Wan was tall enough that when her face was at the same height as his, her feet couldn't touch the ground.

"What are you doing?" she scowled.

"You're so small!" he laughed. She started to pull on her arms.

"Put me down!" With one last giggle, Wan slowly lowered her until her feet were flat on the ground. "I'm doing it." She grinned, looking down at her feet. Her white dress caught in the breeze and shifted. Wan loosened his grip a little to see if she could stand by herself, but her knees bent automatically. She cried out. Wan let her down all the way so she was sitting again.

"Maybe we should start off simpler," he suggested.

"Like what?" she muttered. She looked up at him. He sat down next to her.

"Can you move your feet?" She shook her head. "Let's start with that then. Try to move your toes."

"You mean those extensions on the ends?" Raava asked. He nodded and maneuvered her body so her legs were straight in front of her and her arms supported her in the back. She stared at her toes in hard concentration. "How?"

"I don't know. Try to think about moving them."

"Because I'm not already doing that," she replied with sarcasm. She waited a few moments. "Did I do it right?"

"Do what?" Wan asked.

"Did I do the sarcasm correctly?"

He laughed. "Yes, you used it correctly."

* * *

"Yes!" Raava clapped her hands but made sure she did not move otherwise. Wan observe their work. A week had passed, and she could put enough strength into her legs to hold herself up now. "I can do the stand!"

"You can stand," Wan corrected.

"I can stand," she repeated.

"You want to try to walk now?"

"Not really."


	6. I Got You

Wan and Raava were lying on a sheet of dead leaves. As itchy as it was, it was better than the snow that covered the floor of the dying forest. Raava was gazing up at the stars with Wan next to her.

"And that one looks like Mula," he was saying. She squinted her eyes to try and see it.

"I can't see it," she told him. He lifted his finger to the sky.

"Look. Right there is her head. Those two that are closer together are her eyes. And then there is her body."

"And those ones branching off are her legs?"

"Yup."

"I see her now." She moved her head to look at Mula and pointed up. "Look, Mula. It's you." Mula nuzzled her face, and Raava giggled. Then, Mula's head whipped up.

"What's wrong?" Wan asked her. She stood up and growled. Wan stood as well and turned in the direction she was looking. He could not see anything. "Mula, what is it?" In the blink of an eye, rock rose out of the ground and encased Wan and Mula.

"Wan!" Raava screamed. She saw men move out from between the trees and crawled, which was her new ability, to the rock trap holding Wan and Mula. She slammed her fist against the stone. "Wan!" The men came up behind her and grabbed her under her arms. "Let me go!" One of the men produced a large sack and held it open while the other two shoved her into it. "Stop!" They tied the opening together so she could not escape. Her muffled screams filled the air as one of the men tossed her over his shoulder.

"Raava!" Wan shouted. He banged on the rock with his hands and hurled himself against the wall. His shoulder was aching, his hands raw. "Raava!" He did not know what else to do. Nothing he had done made a mark to get him out. Then, the rock shook and lowered back into the ground. He burst out and glanced in every direction. Raava was gone and so was whoever took her. He heard a chirp above him and saw a small blue spirit hovering above him.

"I was passing by when I saw you," it said. Its voice was like wind chimes.

"Thank you," Wan gasped.

"Are you looking for something?" Wan was trying to find a clue to where Raava went.

"I think someone took my friend." The spirit sunk down to float by his head.

"I saw some humans running in the direction I was coming from."

"Which way was that?" The spirit pointed.

"Thank you!" Wan ran up to Mula but halted just as he was about to climb onto her back. At his feet was a piece of bright red cloth laying on the pristine snow. Slowly picking it up, Wan clutched it and wrapped it around his neck in one swipe of his hand. "Let's go, Mula."

"Can I help?" the spirit asked. Wan turned back to it.

"I appreciate your help," he answered politely. "I can take it from here." The spirit nodded and rushed off. Mula sprinted through the trees.

Raava rolled out of the sack onto a wooden floor when the men turned it over. Small columns of rock rose out of holes in the wood, imprisoning her in a cell. Her hands wrapped around the bars; she pulled as hard as she could. "You can't get out." Turning around, Raava saw a familiar face. "I've tried to get out already."

"Who are these people?" Raava asked. The girl buried her face in her hands. "What's wrong?"

"It's all my fault," she whimpered. "My brother was right, and I didn't listen. One of the men was my boyfriend."

"I'm sorry." Raava pat the girl's hand and smoothed down her wild hair. "We will get out of here though. Trust me."

"At least you aren't here alone," the girl told her. "While I was alone, I did all I could to escape." She showed Raava her hands, which were scraped and raw. Raava spotted drops of blood on a few of the bars.

"What's your name? I'm Raava." Raava held out her hand, a friendly thing she had seen humans do.

"Hi, Raava. My name is Enna." Raava smiled.

"Can I ask you something, Enna?" The girl nodded. "What is a boyfriend?"

The snow flew whenever Mula's hooves hit the ground. Wan stopped her when he heard voices. He dismounted and walked carefully to the line of trees of which he could see a building. He kept his back to the tree trunk and bent over to peer in. Three men, one big and two smaller, stood beside a fire. One of them was stroking a small animal that rotated above the flames. Another was removing something from his belt, a knife.

"Make sure you cut off enough for profit," the cook mentioned. The man with the knife grunted and entered the wooden shack behind them. The other man sighed.

"How much do you think we could get for this?" he asked opening his hand for the cook. Wan tried to see what was in his hand. It was hair, long, dark hair.

"Not much," the cook mumbled. "That new girl, though, she will be worth a lot." Wan ducked back behind the tree. "If he cuts off enough of that white hair, we can get food from the markets and our own home. That doesn't even count what we will get if we sell her!" Wan's hand went into fists and burst into flames.

"Just hold still." Raava squirmed. The man tightened the rope keeping her arms to her body and knotted the handkerchief around her mouth. "This won't take long, and it definitely won't hurt." She saw the shine of the blade in her peripheral vision and shuddered. She heard a quick noise of static and a tug on her scalp. "That's a good girl." Her head was getting lighter. "There. All done." He untied her before tossing her back in the cell. She stared in horror at the shimmering white hair in the man's hand. She buried her head in Enna's arm and cried. The man exited and left the two of them by themselves.

"It's alright. Shhh," Enna cooed. She ran her hand up and down Raava's back to comfort her. "It will grow back." Raava nodded and brought her head up. Her hand reached for the frayed edges of Enna's own hair, cut just above her shoulders. "He took mine too-" Enna startled and blinked rapidly. "R-Raava, you-" It was Raava's turn to be confused.

"What is it?"

"You're younger!"

Wan listened as the man that entered the building strode back out. The man held something up in his hand like it was a prize. "It's beautiful," he said, mesmerized. "Just look at it." The cook and second man crowded around him. Long, white hair was bunched up in their hands. Wan had had enough.

He surprised them when he came jumping out from behind the tree and hurled fire at each of them. Mula charged at the cook as he tried to escape and knocked him into a tree. Wan fought the other two men, watching as the precious hair slid onto the snow. He quickly finished the two off and glared at the three unconscious faces on the ground. His hand rested on the door of the shack. He pushed it open and peaked in to see two girls sitting in a cell made of wood and rock.

"Wan!" Raava hopped up onto her knees and held the bars with her hands.

Wan took her in. "Raava, you look younger, smaller." She looked down at herself.

"I don't understand," she whispered, shaking her head.

"Well, Raava, I never expected you to do something so rash." Wan and Raava were startled and searched for the voice. The roof collapsed, and Raava quickly reached for Enna. Wan stood up from the debris around him, dust covering his body. He looked up to see Vaatu floating above him. "Such a weak form!" the evil spirit laughed. Wan glanced in Raava's direction wondering if she could return to her spirit form in Vaatu's presence, but he could not see her. The rubble was scattered in the small cell. He grit his teeth and turned back to Vaatu. "I wonder, Raava, if there is any need to wait for the Harmonic Convergence before destroying you!" She was silent.

"Leave her alone!" Wan hissed. His hands were clenched at his sides, his chin up.

"What will you do?" Vaatu teased. "Will you fight me, human?" He flew in circles. "How very bold of you, Raava, to make a worthless human fight for you!" Still nothing. Vaatu appointed his attention to the cell. There was no movement or noise from beneath the piles of wood that was part of the roof. "Hm."

"Raava?" Wan asked. He inched closer to the cell and then gripped the bars. "Raava?" Something yanked Wan back, and as he was still holding the bars, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Then, he was slammed against the bars. His cheek pressed into one of them uncomfortably. Beneath his sudden alertness, he could hear what sounded like the muffled yelling of a girl. "Raava!" He was pulled back again and flew through the air before landing on his back. He sat up quickly to find that he was now outside and that Vaatu stood between him and the door to the shack.

"Fight me, human," Vaatu bugged. "Let us be finished with this before it could begin." Wan stood carefully. He winced as his right arm moved. Vaatu did not give him any time. The spirit used his tendrils to grab at Wan and hurl him into a tree. Wan groaned at the pain in his arm. He sat hunched over at the base of the tree, just like the men he had fought only minutes before. He could feel his heart beating fast, too fast.

"Raava," he mouthed. He breathed in the fabric of the scarf. It still smelled like her. Light. He wanted to close his eyes and just sit there breathing her scent in. He forced his eyes to stay open though. Raava was not in the scarf.

His legs picked him up, and he stood in front of Vaatu, ready for more. Vaatu accepted. Wan flung fire from the one arm that worked and watched it miss Vaatu. He kicked and did everything he could to hit Vaatu, but the spirit was too fast. He could do nothing. Vaatu's tendril wrapped around Wan's neck and shoved him back into the tree. Wan tried to pull away but was distracted. He looked behind Vaatu to the wooden building where Raava was. He took the only air he had been able to get in before Vaatu cut it off and gasped out fire. Vaatu, momentarily surprised, released Wan, who took off running toward the building. Vaatu laughed after him.

"Raava," he mumbled to himself as he picked up a broken board of wood and plunged it between two of the rock bars. He pulled down on one side with his good arm. One bar cracked but did nothing more. He lit a fire on the edge of two of his fingers and heated up the rock. Then, he tried with the wood again and managed to break enough bars for him to squeeze through using the process.

"Very clever, human," he heard Vaatu snicker above him. "But who can find her first?" Wan started to tear at the debris with his one hand. He listened for the muffled screams. He removed a block of wood with his foot and found the dark haired girl beneath it. She was crying and started to dig with Wan in their search for Raava. Vaatu's tendrils extracted the largest unbroken plank of wood and revealed a small, pale arm. Wan hurried over to it, but Vaatu had already yanked on the fragile arm and was holding up an unconscious Raava by her wrist. Wan unleashed a cyclone of flames on Vaatu. It smacked into the spirit, yelling and cursing at Wan. Wan whistled, and Mula appeared. Enna climbed up onto Mula and held Raava. Wan and Mula sprinted back into the forest before Vaatu could regain his senses. When they were far enough away, they stopped. Wan fell onto the ground in a gasping heap, and Mula let Enna down with Raava before curling up and falling asleep.

"Are- you- alright?" Wan managed to get out.

"I'm fine," Enna replied. "Raava must have been knocked out when the roof fell." She fingered Raava's white hair away from her face. Wan sat on the opposite side of her. Enna jumped up. "I'm sorry. I have to leave. My brother…" Wan nodded, and she took off. He only wondered after she was gone if he should have let her go alone, but it was too late.

"Come on, Mula," he told the cat-deer while rubbing her neck. "We have to move somewhere else." Wan bent down beside Raava and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her leg with his working arm and started walking. The stars were in different places than they had been earlier that night. The sun would be coming soon. He saw colors dancing in the trees. He heard music coming from a far off place.

Everything swirled around him.

"Raava, wake up," he muttered. "I don't think I can walk anymore." He tightened his grip on her cold leg. He heard Raava scream his name as the men took her. He saw her face disappear from view by the rock that held him captive. He breathed in the light from his scarf. "Raava, I was so scared. When they took you, I didn't know what was going to happen, just that I had to get you back. When I saw your hair in that man's hand, I became so angry. I couldn't believe that he would do that to you." Wan's stride became slower and slower until he was stopped. "Then Vaatu came." He lowered his head to halt his hallucinations. "When he had his grip choking me, I wasn't scared for me. I just didn't want to think about what would have happened if Vaatu killed me. What would have happened to you?" He started walking again, and Mula followed in her own sleepiness. "Harmonic Convergence is so close. It's less than a week away." His eyelids drooped and he caught himself from tripping. "What if I make it out alive at the cost of you?" He felt movement and turned his head to see Raava lifting her own from his back.

"Wan?" she asked, dazed.

"It's alright," he said quietly. "I got you."

"Can you let me down?" Raava blinked into the sunrise as Wan let her down carefully. "What happened?"

"We got away from Vaatu."

"And Enna?"

"Ran off." She nodded. Wan's chest felt heavy, and the sun burned his eyes. He wobbled and saw the ground getting closer. He felt Raava's cool hands on his arms, lowering him down carefully. He winced away from the hand on his right arm.

"Wan, what is it?" She took his head in both hands to steady it from bobbing.

"My shoulder," he moaned. She placed his head on her shoulder for support and gently touched his shoulder. His teeth clenched. Her grip was careful as she delicately folded his clothes off around his shoulder. Only for a moment was she taken aback by the corded muscle wiring his arm, but then she got to work.

"Wan, I don't exactly know what to do," she panicked. "Tell me what to do." But Wan wouldn't answer. His breathing told her that he was asleep. She looked around, lost. Then, she remembered. She had seen a shoulder like this before; when she was searching for Vaatu after she had lost him the first time, approximately 5,000 years before meeting Wan, she had gone over a human city. A man had been attacked by darkened spirits. His shoulder had looked like Wan's. "I think this might hurt a little." She placed one hand on the back of his shoulder and one on the front. Quickly pushing with the front hand, she pushed his shoulder back into place. He breathed in sharply as she felt his eyelashes flutter against her neck.

"Raava?" he whispered. Her breathing was heavy. He lifted his head to look at her. She was paler than usual, her eyes round.

"Y-Your shoulder..." He pulled his shirt up to cover his bruised arm.

"I'm sorry." She faced the ground, embarrassed.

"You need sleep, don't you, Wan?" she asked. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'll be fine until tonight." He tried to grin but was not convincing. "We need to keep going." Mula trotted over to them. He pat her neck. "It's okay, Mula. You won't have to carry us." Raava looked up at that. "Come on, Raava." She shook her head.

"You're hurt. You need to rest," she insisted. "Both of you." Her hands twisted in the skirt of her dress.

"We're fine," he smirked. She was persistent.

"You're more tired than Mula. You had to carry me." She stood up slowly, keeping her balance. "If you want to keep moving, neither of you are carrying me." As Wan stood as well, she had to change her head position. He towered over her more now than he had before.

"Can you walk?" She glared at her feet and willed for them to work with her; then, she took a step and nearly fell. Wan reached out to catch her but she pushed away. "Hey, let's take it slow." She surrendered and grabbed his arm, both of them taking small steps.

They walked a long way. Raava insisted they eat meals while walking. She knew Wan wanted to keep going because of how close the Harmonic Convergence was and that she would not be able to stop him from doing so.

The moment the sun was below the horizon, Mula crashed. Wan sighed and brought Raava down to sit. He then unloaded the baggage on Mula's back. He spread a blanket out over her. He handed the other to Raava. "Here," he told her. "We should get some sleep." He took a deep breath that carried to him her scent from his scarf before taking it off. He kneeled down next to her and wrapped it around her neck. She held the blanket out to him.

"If I have your scarf, you should have the blanket," she mumbled. Her eyes avoided his. He took her hands and pushed them back towards her, the blanket still intertwined with her fingers.

"Not a chance." He scooted his usual distance away from her. She watched him turn over onto his side and fall asleep. Her eyes wide, she blinked and looked back to the blanket, where the heat from his hands still sizzled on hers. She wrapped the blanket around herself and curled up into a ball on the snowy ground. She just stared at Wan's back. She remembered the sight of his bare skin, of his muscle and strength, and the bruises. All her fault.

"I'm sorry, Wan," she sobbed. She sniffed and decided she would not cry. Her arms tightened around her legs. Her cheek was numb from the snow when she got up and placed the blanket gently over Wan. She looked at his sleeping face and could not help but think of how it looked earlier. The feeling of relief that had washed over his face when he had seen her in the cell, and then the confusion. She wondered what she looked like to him now. A child? She raised her hands and frowned at them. They were so small, fragile-looking, useless. She switched her gaze to his hands poking out of the blankets. His hands were so large compared to hers now. They were callused and marked with scars from years of hard work. Hers were unmarked by anything but dirt from the building. "You had to protect me because of how worthless I am. I can't do anything." A hand engulfed hers.

"Don't think of yourself like that."

"You should be sleeping." Wan sat up, keeping his hand on hers.

"And you shouldn't?" he asked. Raava buried her nose in his scarf. She breathed it in like she had every day. Wan. "If I see that you are going to sleep, I will." He handed her the blanket.

"Fine." Pouting, she pulled the edges of the blanket around her shoulders and fell onto her side. He just watched her silently, a slight smirk on his lips, but nothing in his eyes. "Your turn."

"Sleep well, Raava." He lied back down and was asleep before she knew it. Raava stared at him again. His chest was moving up and down, up and down. The rest of him was still like a statue until he would suddenly turn over. She moved her gaze to the open sky above her. The stars glistened in the calm pool of darkness.

"Wan…" He had gotten hurt trying to protect her. Or not for protecting her, because of her. Images of his damaged arm poisoned her mind. She thought of how much it must have hurt. The only reason any of it had happened was because of her selfishness. She had told Wan that she was sorry for losing his friends when she really had no idea what it felt like. Oh, how foolish she had been! Now, she could not change back into a spirit and that was sure to doom them during the Harmonic Convergence!

The Harmonic Convergence… Raava tried to see the celestial event but could not. These human eyes could only see as a human could. She did not need it anyway; it was the day after tomorrow.

She cowered within herself. Never- not once- had she ever been so terrified for the event. She had not cared for humans before this, so she had not cared much if they were destroyed by Vaatu. She only cared for her other spirits. But now it was different. Now she had Wan, and he was jumbled up in the tracks that Vaatu was traveling on. There was no way that he would not perish. "No," she croaked. Her throat was tight, her stomach twisting. Her heart pounded and ached. What is this? she wondered. This feeling was stretching in her. It spread out its wings to every point of her small body. Fear? No, something else, something more detailed. Anxiety? Yes, that was it, and the tension was just growing larger. She repeated what she had been thinking when the feeling arose to understand what she was anxious about.

There was no way that he would not perish.

Wan was going to die.

Tears started to slip down her face. She rubbed them away. It was all her fault. She allowed him to help her instead of just letting him go free. She should not have given in to his guilty face when he spoke to her following the release of Vaatu. "Hey, Wan," she uttered, "don't die on me."


	7. Don't You Understand?

"There it is." Mula stopped and peered at the beam of light shooting from the icy ground. Raava was amazed at the look of the portal through human eyes. It was like a glittering waterfall flowing towards the stars. As a spirit, she could see the spirit world passed it in a strip- never a beam of light.

"What time is the Harmonic Convergence?" Wan asked.

"When the sun in this world is directly overhead," she answered. "We won't need to enter until soon before it."

"So we camp out here tonight." He unpacked Mula slowly. Raava had avoided him as much as possible since that morning when he woke her up. Even now, as he set everything out, she distracted herself with staring at the portal or petting Mula. "Are you alright?" She turned to Wan and met his eyes for a split second before looking away.

"I'm fine."

Wan gestured to the crooked trees that surrounded them. "Well, we need some more wood. I'll be right back, okay?" She nodded and watched his back as he ventured into the forest. She sat next to Mula on one of the blankets. From the spot they were in, she could see trees all around them and the portal in a cleared out space two trees away.

"Mula, I'm actually scared," she mumbled. Mula rubbed her head against Raava's cheek. "What will happen if Wan dies?" Mula put her head down onto Raava's lap. Raava gazed up. The sun was almost completely set. Wan would have a fire in one hand when he returned. She got up and searched the camp. Some water had frozen in a suspended puddle on one of the trees and was clear enough to be a mirror. Raava was horrified at the face that stared back at her. She clenched her fist and slammed it into the ice.

"Raava, come sit by it the fire," Wan said once the wood was lit. "It's cold." When she did not move from her spot next to Mula, he went to her. "Hey, what's wrong?" She turned her head away from him, gripping her legs to her chest. "Raava?"

"Go away." Wan was taken aback. He placed his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

"Did something happen?" he asked. That's when she burst. She turned on him.

"Yes, Wan, something happened!" she yelled. She stood up. "Look at me!" She pointed to herself. Her dress shrunk with her as she lost power and was as short as her knees. The sleeves were single strips connecting to the back and front. Her physique was so childish now that she looked much younger than what she originally had. Her short hair was cut uneven just above her shoulders. Her arms and legs were the size of the branches Wan had brought back to burn. Her curves had diminished to the way they would be on a twelve year old. And his scarf was abundantly large for her thin neck; it was slipping down her body, unable to stay on her shoulders.

"I don't see anything wrong," Wan lied, standing up with her. He realized it just made her angrier to see how short she was now. Her head reached the middle of his chest.

"Everything is wrong!" She frowned and looked at her feet. "Look at me, Wan. I'm useless in this form, and there is nothing I can do to change it."

"Hey." Wan ducked down so he could face her with her head down. "Is this about tomorrow?" He was grinning. "It will be fine."

"Wan, you have to understand-"

"Have you ever lost to him before?" he interrupted, eyebrows knitting together. She shook her head. "You're worried about dying, huh?"

"Wan, stop." He stood up straight with a sigh, his eyes sad but aware, the grin gone.

"I would die before I let anything happen to you, Raava." He clenched his fists. Raava grasped his shirt in anger and shook him.

"Don't you understand, Wan?" she urged. "Vaatu cannot kill me. I will come back in another ten thousand years. But he can kill you," she slowly released him, looking down, "and I would never see you again."

"Raava…" Wan lifted her head with his hand. What am I doing? he thought. His eyelids lowered slightly as he brushed his lips to hers. It was her that brought the full force up on his mouth. Her arms reached out and pulled him down even more. He pushed his hands into her hair, the feeling of it numbing his fingers. She gasped as his warm hands touched her neck. They slid down her back and to her waist where he gripped her and lifted her onto her toes. She brought her hands to his face as they pulled away. Wan buried his face in her neck.

"I'm not scared of dying, Wan. I'm scared of losing you."

"But, Raava, if I do die, it would be alright." His breath warmed the one side of her neck. "I was banished from my city. I don't belong in any other, and many spirits aren't very fond of a human on their land. For instance, Jaya. He was killed by the angry spirits." He lifted his head and looked her in the eye. "You say you don't care if you die, only if I do; but if you do die and I live, we won't see each other again anyway. How long would it take you to form a body again? One hundred years? A thousand? I couldn't live to that age, Raava." She raised a hand and put it over Wan's on her face, understanding what he was saying and not being able to meet his eyes because of it. "I'm sorry."

"Wan, you're strong." She looked up, hopeful. "You could defeat him."

"I can't," he whispered.

"Why not?" she shouted. Water began to sprout at the corners of her eyes. He wiped the tears away with the scarf hanging from her neck. He hugged her.

"You still can't change back into a spirit." Her eyes widened, and she remembered who she was exactly. No matter how much they spoke of the Harmonic Convergence or of spirits and Vaatu, it had slipped her mind that she herself was one. She was not human. "You can't switch out my elements. I can't defeat Vaatu with just fire. You know that." She hugged him tighter before letting go and running, tripping along the way. She ripped the scarf away from her neck as she went. He stretched a hand out to catch her, but she disappeared before he could start running himself. "Raava!" he called. He took off after her.

Raava curled up in a ball next to a large tree. She felt like a human child. "Turn back. Turn back. Turn back," she breathed. "Turn back." She rocked back and forth on her heels.

"Raava!" She heard Wan nearby. He sounded worried. "Where are you?" She shrunk more into the tree. "Raav-" A thump sounded behind her, and she realized he had slipped on ice. She automatically went to help him but stopped herself. She listened to him get up and keep going. Until his voice dissipated, she sat completely still.

"Turn back." She silently cursed herself before pushing her head into the splintering wood of the tree. "Raava, you have to change back…" She did not know how long she sat there with her head in her hands before the whispering came. It surprised her at first, but then she recognized it as something from her spirit form. The Voices of the Portals. They always spoke to her before a Harmonic Convergence, but she had forgotten this time. Slowly, she rose from the cold flooring and lingered through the trees. She passed the red sliver on the ground and Mula sleeping quietly until the light from the portal illuminated the area around her.

"Come to us, dear Spirit of Light," the Voices whispered. "It is time." Raava was clutching her dress like it could protect her.

"No, it isn't time yet," she panicked. "We still have half a day!"

"Not time for the Harmonic Convergence." The Voices drew her closer to the portal. "Time for you to return to your original form. Dearest Raava, Vaatu was stripping your power, but so was this form. You used a lot of your power just to make it. If you were to enter the field tomorrow like this, both you and the boy would perish in mere seconds. Touch the light- your light- and return." Raava stretched out her hand to the upwards stream of light protruding from the ice.

"What about Wan?" she asked.

"The boy will not survive. There is no possible way he could. Use him, Spirit of Light. Use the boy to distract Vaatu while you deliver the final blow."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "But I don't want Wan to die."

"He is human," the Voices hissed. "They have no respect. Just remember that you fight for the spirits, not for the dirty apes. You have always done it this way."

"Things change, dear ancient ones," Raava sobbed. "I have met humans that are beautiful, and I have met humans that are ugly. I cannot leave Wan- a beautiful one- to die at Vaatu's hand. He will live even if I do not. I will make sure he steps out of your light by the end of this."

"We have seen both your and Vaatu's birth. We were here before the world was built. You will not disrespect us."

"I have not meant to. If I have, I apologize."

"Touch the light, Raava. Become yourself again." Raava reached out and felt the stream move between her fingers.

"Raava!" She turned around to see Wan behind her just as light blinded them both. Raava looked up and could see the celestial events in the sky. She could not see the stars anymore. The Voices spoke to her regularly now, and she could feel the souls of spirits and humans alike throughout the world. Wan stood above her. His face was miserable as he reached down and picked her up; he cradled her in his arms. "You changed back," he stated.

"I am sorry, Wan," she said, her voice back to the ancient, echoing one. "I cannot allow you to perish because of me. I will be able to switch your elements during the Harmonic Convergence." He carefully brought her back to the fire. Mula was now awake and held Wan's scarf in her mouth. He took his teapot from the bag that usually sat on her back, and slid Raava into it. With the teapot in one hand and his scarf now in the other, he flung the fabric around his neck.

"We will defeat him, Raava. Both of us will come out of that portal," he smiled down at her, "together."


	8. The Walk of a Neverending Bond

Seeing Wan lose to Vaatu set the emotions Raava had carried over to her spirit form on fire. Every time Wan slammed into the ground with a painful groan, she wanted to rush out to his side. However, that would have made his statement meaningless: "If you want to get to her, you'll have to go through me!" Then, he called out to her. She could not have taken off faster. He clenched his teeth, preparing for her powerful wind to knock him over like it had the first time. He tightened his fists, getting into a crouch as her power settled in.

Vaatu attacked, but Wan was ready. Remembering his training, Wan used all four elements to strike at the dark spirit. So fast, so agile, Wan held a dark, determined look in his eyes. That is when his strength started to vanish. He slid to the ground, his hands and feet slowing his skid. He could feel his energy draining and his heart pumping in pain.

"I have to leave you. If I stay any longer," Raava tried not to sob, "you will die."

"It doesn't matter," Wan strained. "If you leave me now, Vaatu will destroy everything. We have to finish this together." Raava felt his body giving out on him the more he kept going.

"Wan, stop," she begged. He coughed and squeezed his eyes shut. Vaatu grabbed him by the waist and swung him up into the air, firing his power at him. Wan landed near one of the portals, not being able to get up quick enough before Vaatu held him down with a tendril. Raava shivered inside of Wan. Was this it?

"The Harmonic Convergence is about to begin," Vaatu proudly announced. "The Era of Raava is over." Wan gazed in amazement as the two streams of portals bent and connected above the giant tree. Vaatu lit up with power, but so did Raava. Wan reached towards the portal behind him and looked back at Vaatu as Raava's blue spread over his body.

"I remembered seeing you touch the portal," he thought to her. "I wondered what would happen." He fell to his hands and knees.

"Wan!" Raava screamed inside of him. "Wan, I can't get out!" His heart- He was failing. He was dying faster and faster. "WAN!" He hurled up to face the sky and let out a scream that sent light firing from his body.

"Wan," she cried as he stood up, shining with her power. "We are bonded forever."

* * *

"Congratulations," the Voices of the Portals whispered. "Human, we deem you Avatar. As you said when you locked Vaatu away, you will be the bridge between the two worlds, the one to balance all conflicts."

Wan stepped out of the portal. Raava was still crying inside of him. "Wan, this is it," she told him. "This is the start of a new era. Your era."

"Come on, Raava," he snickered. "It's the start of _our_ era." And with that, he took his first steps as Avatar.


End file.
